The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-03-18
BARETTI'S BRACELET.
Why and How q Princess Gave It
to Him.

why ana HOW p fI1ucooo Gave ~
to Him.
He was the handsomest man that
have ever seen upon the boards, and
that despite the fact that have been
stage-managcr in leading Italian the
alters for the last thirty years so when,
after brilliant season Of six weeks in
St. Petersburg, our energetic director
decided to mount Torelli's great trag-
edy Of 1.-The Martyrs" and needed an
actor Of remarkable personal beauty to
take the part Of Claudius. ! said to him
at once \: "Cola Baretti Is the very
man." There was no question at any
time Of our leading tragcdian, Varesc,
for the character, for he was short and
thick-set, and was fifty years old at the
very least, besides which he. preferred
the part Of Nero. which he had always
played in Italy. Our director tele-
graphcd for Baretti that very night,
and the piece was brought out three
weeks later. OF course every body
knows about Torelli's Martyrs" as il
is ono Of the greatest poetic dramas Of
the nineteenth century, need. there
fore. only mention that II turns on the
fate Of Claudius. brilliant young prof
ligate noble, who loves Christian
patrician maiden. and is induced by
his love to embrace her faith and 10
share in her doom. both being con-
demned to the lions by Nero. We had
= cage full Of real lions in the last
scene, that Of the amphithcatcr, and by
dint Of never feeding them till Just
after the performance. we got them TO
roar every evening in most realistic
and bloodthirsty fashion. Then we had
new scene for that act representing
the interior Of the Colosseum. as re-
stored. after the best authorities. and
il was 50 ZneIy done that 1t created
genuine sensation.
But the great success Of the play was
Barctti as ClaudiuA As Ihave said be-
fore. he was wonderfully handsome,
in superb and symmetrical and an
tique Roman fashion. that was just
suited to the character. And when. on
the first night, Claudius appeared at
the top Of fight Of steps At one side
of the stage. in his white. gold-bor-
dered tunic and snowy mantle. with
fan Of white ostrich plumes in his hand,
and leaning upon the shoulder Of one
Of his boon companions. q murmur Of
admiration ran through the house.
The old Countess Ledichoff was
heard to ask: ..How long was II since
the statues in the Vatican had come to
life and taken to actingP' And the
sculptor Krazinoff (who died the other
day. aged cighty-two) came up to him
in the grccn-room, after the first act,
and said. with long look at his figure
and his features: ssAh, my boy, IL
were but ten years younger, would
make Of your CIaudius q masterpiece
in marble that would immortalixe Us
bothr' Nor was his acting less sue
cess than his appearance. The fine
play Of his features, the grace Of his
gestures, the enforced feryor and
pathos Of the later scenes, all won
warm praise from audience and critics
alike. and. much to vsrese's disgust
and indignation, Cola Barctti was the
success Of our season.
Looking ~ Ia ala and sctin0 - n
did, he came n for I GOOD deai q social
attention and the NOR q a. re was !
winning, genial. rentlemanly fellow
of the stage. and ereat fayorite with
every body who made his acquaintance.
But he kept out Of the way as much rs